Ambassadors of CCC
Added to website: 10 April 2003
CCC catches up with two reps who have successfully completed the CCC Rep Scheme to be awarded free expedition places. Louise Boyle & Jon Gulson explain how they got involved and the benefits and workings of being CCC Representatives.
Why did you get involved as a CCC Rep?
Louise:
It’s an excellent way to keep in touch with what’s going on at CCC. After spending 2 fantastic months in Honduras in 2000, I knew I would be tempted to go on another CCC expedition in the future, so when I heard about the Rep scheme in 2001 I thought I’d go along to the meeting and find out more about it. I went to the training day, thought ‘How difficult can it be?’ and the rest is history.
Jon:
I’d been interested in Coral Cay from its early days and even helped on a stall in the mid 90s, but it wasn’t until 1999 that I had hands-on experience of expedition life. The Volunteer scheme provided an excellent opportunity for me to continue my interest in Coral Cay, not only to see their work develop, but also to potentially earn a place on a further expedition.
What do you have to do at the Dive Shows?
Louise:
Dive shows are good fun - you obviously get in for free as you’re helping out and there’s usually the opportunity to go and catch a talk and have a look round the stands. As for promoting the organisation it’s not too much of a hardship having to spend a day talking about your expedition to people who are interested in finding out about the whole experience (though the promotional video starts to grate on the nerves after a while!).
What are the presentations like?
Louise:
The presentations are a bit daunting at first especially if you’re not the most confident person about standing up in front of a group and ad-libbing for 40 minutes. For me this was perhaps the most challenging part of the scheme but I’m sure I improved as I went along (even if I do have a tendency to retreat to the wall on various occasions!!)
Jon:
The presentation material provided by CCC definitely helps when doing talks etc. and I must acknowledge the efforts of head office staff for continually upgrading the material!
Do you have to organise your own presentations?
Louise:
I think there will be more of an onus in the future on organising your own presentations, and I have to say I am guilty of organising only one of my own. They require a slightly different approach as I found out when I did a presentation to a group of twelve 16 year old non-diving schoolgirls who didn’t have a clue about basic things, like what a BCD is…but still they liked the pretty pictures so hopefully there was an incentive for them to find out more! I guess it’s about targeting your audience effectively and finding out which are the good organisations to approach such as dive clubs, leisure centres, watersports clubs, schools (general study departments), and outdoor centres… the list goes on and on…
How much time does it take?
Louise:
You can make as much or as little effort as you like, which was especially useful when I first joined the scheme as I was also trying to do my finals. But like most things in life the more you put in the more you get out. It’s definitely something that you can do in your spare time (this should probably be emphasised as I know a few people who didn’t think they’d have time for it what with holding down a full time job too) as a lot of the dive shows and presentations take place at weekends or on weekday evenings, and again it’s enjoyable rather than difficult or tedious. Essentially you have a captive audience of people who want to come and find out about CCC, so while your friends and family are probably sick to death of hearing about the Manta Ray you swam with in Honduras, these people can’t hear enough about all the incredible possibilities of expedition life that awaits them!!
What are the other benefits? Your CV?
Louise:
I think there are obvious benefits of being involved in the Rep scheme if you are looking for a job in the charity/conservation/adventure travel sector, or looking to work for CCC!! As for me, I certainly drew on my involvement in the scheme during job interviews/assessment centres etc. and I think it certainly helped me get my job in the Civil Service to be able to say that I had worked in an ambassadorial role for an organisation (which is essentially what the rep scheme involves). Employers also particularly appreciate any public-speaking and organisational skills you can offer plus of course, the fact that you have given your time voluntarily to such a worthwhile cause.
A final thought?
Jon:
Although I have now qualified for a place on an expedition, I will gladly support future events if other reps are unavailable. For those of you thinking about joining the scheme it does require some commitment and the odd scary moment with the occasional rogue slide projector, but it is well worth the effort. Good luck!
Louise Boyle was a CCC Volunteer in Honduras in 2001. She successful completed the Rep scheme and received a free expedition place for her efforts. Easy!
Jon Gulson was a CCC Volunteer in Honduras in 2001. He now works for the Environment Agency. Jon is planning to head out to the Philippines on his free expedition.
Want to go on a free expedition?
We will be organising a day for prospective reps to update their skills and for anyone interested to come along and find out about getting involved. Contact the CCC Volunteer Recruitment Department for more details.
